Here’s a close up of sprawl in action. You can see the farmland being converted into low density housing. Zoom out and see how the suburban grid will soon stretch from Rockford to Chicago. There is a lot of land out there, though, so there’s plenty of room to grow. And even low density housing uses less water than farming, although it uses a lot more hydrocarbon fuels to keep warm through those winters. Burning the hydrocarbons contributes to global climate change.
But it’s getting warmer. People are concerned about warming near Chicago, asking about records. and this is what passes as the answer from Tom Skilling of WGN9. Heat islands are the term used to describe the fact that heating all of those homes and buildings makes the air around them warmer. Well, of course it does. You can see heat islands from space, too.
The argument as I understand it is that these warmer places, these so-called heat islands, have thrown off all useful historical measurements, not that he links to any, so you can’t use any historical information to prove that it’s getting warmer in Chicago, that spring is coming earlier and earlier every year. You might believe that it was all heat islands, too, if you didn’t trust your own eyes.
Tom Skilling is apparently as completely full of it as his younger brother Jeffrey, former CEO of Enron Corporation, who continues to evade justice. This whole family gives an unbelievable amount of money to the ruling regime, and the Chicago branch is no different.
Fortunately here at Sprol we have more advanced research tools at our disposal. For space data, NASA is old school. When you average the islands of hot and cold out, everywhere in the world, and then look for anomolies, this is what you get:
The traffic however may be the most serious problem when it comes to quality of life in the area. All those cars idling at 5mph contribute to heat islands, pollution, accidents, and terrible outdoor advertising.
Interesting. I didn’t know my local weather man was related to the Enron bunch. The trib has long been staunchly republican, however, so I guess that’s no surprise…
Global warming has a more compex context to be explained by traffic. It would be nice: no traffic no problem. You don’t believe it. Me neither.
Cool blog, man– keep it up…
Wow, this website is full of misinformation. Tom Skilling, who I interned under, keeps TONS of data and knows of EVERY website containing Chicago climate records.
Before you write that Tom Skilling is “full of it”, get your facts straight. If you don’t know him or know what he knows, you simply can’t talk.
I dare *anyone* to prove me wrong. Go ahead: do it.
See above, you’re proven wrong.
what difference is it going to make smak-talking about the weather or anything else…our government is giving our country away piece by piece…if someone doesn’t do something about it soon we won’t be able to pay for air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter…or even have a home to get in out of the weather…I don’t know where to start…does anyone else…voting out the jerks who are destroying our way of life doesn’t do any good…the new ones that take their place are just as corrupt…we have to do it ourselves in a grass roots kind of thing…how about a sock boycott…buy only socks made in AMERICA…it can be done…even at wal-mart…pass the word…maybe we can start here to recover our country from this crazy crap that’s going on behind our backs…thanks
Chicago’s heat island is complicated by the daytime cooling in spring and summer by lake breezes affecting the downtown and other areas. I lived there in 1949-62; for many years now in western Mont., where I regularely watch Tom Skilling on cable TV. (I am a retired meteorologist/climatologist.) I agree with most experts that there is a global warming trend and that greenhouse gases have been a major factor. This warming includes North America and the Illinois area. As you say, the warming effect is noticeable if one believes their own eyes and the strong historic evidence. Here in Mont., the glaciers in Glacier Natl Park have shrunk drastically since 1900, and the melting has speeded up in the past two decades. Though Mr. Skilling seems to downplay global warming and its threat, I can’t claim that he is in cahoots with the oil industry, etc. Nor do I think it fair to cast aspersions on him because of his brother’s crooked dealings at Enron. As a WGN-TV weatherman, Tom Skilling is very personable and professional, providing much detail; perhaps a bit verbose but truly absorbed in providing information.